After The Storm
by Milaya Milen Zeal
Summary: *MMBN YAOI!!* It hurt the younger boy to watch him, but he did anyway. There’s no telling what might’ve happened to him. He just hoped Shine could help him.
1. Chapter 1: Finding

After The Storm

A/N: This story is yaoi, meaning it's a boy/boy story. Can't stand it? Then leave! Anyway, there are some of my own characters in it. There's a description in my _Operator-to-Navi_ story, 'cause I'm not going to describe them _again_.

Chapter 1

"Netto-kun, don't you think we should be going to bed now?" Rockman asked his Controller.

Netto gave a yawn, and mumbled: "Hai, hai, sure."

Rock rolled his eyes. They had been surfing across the Internet for some time now, and both of them needed to recharge. He was about to plug out, when ---

"ROCKMAN!!!" a desperate voice shouted, and Rock whirled around.

Only a few Navis continued to call him like that, and he easily recognized who this was, seeing as there was the strange accent to the Navi's voice [1]. With a few jumps and flips, the Navi landed on her feet before him, completely out of breath. She was leaning on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Thank… thank the Gods I found ya…" she panted, looking up at him.

"Muramasa-chan?? What's the matter?" he asked of the gray-haired Navi.

"I'm gettin'… ta tha…" Muramasa panted. "And stop addin' 'chan' ta me name already!!"

"Gomen," Rock apologized.

Netto blinked a few times, then asked: "What seems to be the problem, Muramasa-kun?"

Muramasa finally managed to catch her breath, and straightened up.

"It's Enzan and Blues. Shine thinks somethin' happened and I can't help but agree with her," she explained, though she was having troubles containing her voice.

Even though Muramasa was friends with all Navis that belonged to Netto's friends, she was still closest to Blues.EXE and his Controller, Ijuin Enzan. Probably because she and the other Navi had a lot in common when it came to feelings, thoughts, and attitude. Enzan in turn, was much like his Navi, so Muramasa managed to befriend him too. Even though she was Rock's friend, he made sure not to anger her. Not only was it very easy, she could get lethal when angered.

However, Muramasa.EXE's Controller, Goldlane Shine [2], was the exact opposite. Shine was always optimistic about everything, and she smiled almost all of the time. Somehow, she always managed to make everyone laugh, no matter how cold they might seem, safe for Muramasa. Also, their tastes were alternate. Muramasa preferred black, while Shine rather had bright colors.

"Enzan? What's wrong then?" Netto asked, trying not to sound too concerned.

Enzan and Netto were sworn rivals, so they couldn't stand each other very well. Shine was constantly trying to get them to act nice to each other, which was hard to do. However, Shine was persistent, and she just wouldn't quit.

However, Netto secretly wanted nothing more than to be Enzan's friend. It was just that Enzan kept pushing him away. Netto wouldn't give up though, much like Shine wouldn't. But there was also something only Rock knew. He had a secret crush on the white and black haired kid, but he tried desperately not to show it. Though it was getting harder every day. Netto didn't have to be a genius to figure out that Enzan hated him more than anything, so if Netto were to tell him he had a crush on the guy, he'd ruin what little friendship they had. 

"They left, sayin' they'd be out fer 'bout an hour, befere we coul' say anythin' 'bout it!" Muramasa said.

Netto scoffed and said: "So? What's the problem?"

Muramasa frowned and said: "I ain't finished!!!"

Netto gave a sigh, but shut up to listen.

Muramasa turned dead-serious, an expression commonly seen with her. Everyone thought that it'd take a miracle to make Muramasa smile, seeing as she never did.

"And tha was three hours ago," she said.

"Say WHAT?!?!" Rock and Netto exclaimed at the same time.

"Hate ta say it, but even _I_ am startin' ta worry 'bout those two," Muramasa said. "I tried ta reach 'em, but I can't. Watch."

Muramasa pressed a few buttons that had appeared before her, and waited. The sound of a phone ringing sounded once.

Twice.

Thrice.

Before the connection was broken.

"See?"

Rock was silent for awhile, then turned to his Controller.

"Netto-kun! I think we should go find him! Even for Enzan, it could be dangerous!"

"Hai!" Netto said, and turned to Muramasa. "Tell Shine-chan we'll look for him, alright?"

"Hai," Muramasa said with a nod.

"Rockman! Plug out!!" Netto said, and Rock vanished from the Internet.

Muramasa didn't move for awhile, then walked away, shaking her head.

Netto grabbed his PET, and ran downstairs.

"Okaasan!!" he shouted, causing Haruka to look up in surprise.

"Netto-kun, what---" she started, but was cut off.

"Something happened to Enzan! We have to find him!" Netto said.

Haruka gasped, then said: "H-hai."

"Shine… Shine! SHINE!!!"

"EEK!!"

Shine shot up with a yelp, and panted heavily, before giving a sigh.

"Onnechan [3]… what's the deal??" she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Oi, thanks fer worryin' 'bout Enzan and Blues-kun while I'm out," Muramasa mumbled. "And STOP calling me THAT!!"

Shine ignored the last part and looked at her a little oddly.

"'Blues-kun'?? You NEVER say 'kun' behind somebody's name, not even mine!" she said.

"Don't mention it! And besides, Blues-kun is me mate and all, so I don't see why I shoul'n't call him tha."

Shine blinked, then smiled almost evilly, and asked slyly: "Ooooh, you like him, don't you?"

Muramasa cringed visibly and hissed: "Blues-kun is me _friend_. And no, I DON'T like 'em _tha_ way! And besides, I coul' say the same 'bout ye and Enzan!"

"H-h-hora! There's nothing going on between us!! You know that!!" Shine said.

"Netto and Rockman're gonna look for the two o' 'em by the way. And if ya don't mind, I'm goin' ta bed. Oyasuminasai," Muramasa said, and the screen of Shine's PET flicked off.

Shine smiled cutely.

"She'll never change."

Then her expression turned somber.

"Gosh, I hope Enzan-kun and Blues-kun are alright. I can't imagine what I should do if Enzan-kun died. Should… should I… no! I'm not going to interfere with this again!! I'm going to bed!! I'll hear the news from Netto-kun… I hope."

A car once again zoomed past, but he knew they couldn't see him in the darkness of the alleyway. He sat huddled against a brick wall, shaking violently as quiet sobs emerged from his throat, something he had never allowed in his life. He hadn't been planning to either, but the pain and torment he'd gone through had been too much to bear for him.

His body hurt too much for him to be able to even move, or utter a sound, so there was no way he could call for help. His PET lay beside him, slightly dented, and the screen black as his Navi had lost all of his remaining powers. He had tried several times to grab a hold of it, but he just couldn't grasp it.

Tears ran down his cheeks, stained red as they flowed through the blood on his face. His chest heaved lightly, and even breathing hurt more than he could afford. 

Another car passed by, but he couldn't care. Although, he looked up in surprise as he heard the car stop. He blinked, then figured they must live around here, and paid it no more attention.

"ENZAN!!!" a voice suddenly screamed and his head shot up, much to his body's protests.

'N-n-nani?!'

"ENZAN!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!?"

Readjusting what was left of his clothes, he tried to summon up his voice. He knew who that was. How could he possibly forget?

"N-N-Net…Netto…" he tried to shout back, but it broke off with a violent cough. "K-kuso."

Apparently, that had been enough, seeing as the boy in question soon appeared in the alleyway. 

"Enzan??" Netto asked, squinting into the darkness, trying to spot the other boy.

Enzan tried to move, anything to make Netto know where he was, but it only resulted into more pain. This made him moan in agony, but that was enough for the other kid.

Netto ran into the alleyway, and quickly bent down beside the boy.

"Enzan-kun! Genki des ka!?" he asked, the darkness disabling him to see how Enzan was.

Enzan tried to respond, but al he managed was a violent cough, making him fall forward. But before he could hit the ground, Netto caught him.

"Enzan?!" Netto asked, worried about his friend.

He tried to stay awake, but the pain was too much, and he passed out in Netto's arms.

"Enzan!!" Netto cried, lightly shaking the boy, but getting no response. "Oh, shimatta!! OKAASAN!!! OKAASAN!!!"

Netto's scream made Haruka come over, and she immediately noticed the state of Enzan, even with the dark.

"Oh my goodness!!" she gasped, covering it with a hand. "We have to get him home, Netto!"

"Hai!" Netto said, and tried to somehow pull the other boy to his feet.

Together with Haruka, they succeeded and got into Haruka's car [4], with Netto also holding Enzan's PET. In the car, Netto finally saw Enzan's condition, making him gasp inaudibly. And his PET was in no better condition.

As they drove home, Netto was beginning to wonder what had happened in that alley, as he held the boy he loved close to him.

A/N: I had this story in my head for quite some time, and I finally decided to do something with it! I hope you enjoyed.

[1] In _Operator-to-Navi_, Muramasa had a Japanese accent, but seeing as everyone has one here, I gave Muramasa an Australian accent.

[2] Okay, something that wasn't mentioned in _Operator-to-Navi_, was Shine and Ray's last name.

[3] Thanks to Youkai Ryuu for correcting me on that!

[4] I have absolutely no idea if Haruka actually has a car, but I had to give them transportation, right? 


	2. Chapter 2: Fighting&Worrying

Chapter 2

Netto sat downstairs on the couch, waiting patiently as the seconds ticked by. He hadn't slept at all last night, even though he'd been tired as hell before Muramasa had come along. Rock hadn't slept either, the stress being a little too much for the Navi.

"Netto-kun, what do you think happened?" Rock finally asked to break the silence.

"I don't know…" Netto murmured, his voice hollow, and Rock knew all too well why.

He was silent, until he suddenly smiled.

"Hey! Maybe Shine-chan and Muramasa-kun know!!" he said, and Netto's head shot up.

"You think so?!"

"Worth a try! If you give me a moment, I'll go check!"

And Rock left.

Rock ran across the Internet, intent on finding Muramasa, because he knew she was never with Shine this early in the morning. Then again, he _did _have an idea of where she was. So, he hurried over there. However, when he got there, he found out that someone else had beaten him to it.

"FUZOKO!!!" Muramasa hollered and fired a large bolt of plasma at the other Navi.

The figure dodged and smirked at the girl-Navi.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he asked tauntingly, making Muramasa winch visibly.

"YOU SICK BASTARD!!!" Muramasa hollered and fired again.

He vanished though, but Muramasa whirled around and fired a smaller bolt of plasma. It hit the figure straight in his chest, where his Navi-symbol was supposed to be. He gave a groan of surprise, but he couldn't dodge the punch aimed at his face. The hit sent him back a little, but Muramasa wouldn't stop and sent a flurry of punches at the almost defenseless figure.

He finally had enough and jumped away onto a ledge. 

"DAMN YOU!!!" Muramasa screamed. "GET DOWN HERE YOU FREAK!!!"

"Some other time," the figure said with a smirk and plugged out of the area.

"DAMNIT!!!" the girl-Navi screamed, stomping her foot in anger. "I ALMOST HAD HIM!!!"

Rock gulped, and cleared his throat, making the Navi look over in surprise. She realized who it was and seemed to calm down.

"Rockman," she said, as if it were a greeting.

"Ohayo, Muramasa!" Rock said. "I take it it didn't go very well?"

"Wha the bloody hell gave ya _tha_ idea!?" Muramasa asked sarcastically. "And can ya _believe_ tha bastard!? Did ya hear wha he said?!!?"

"Hai," Rock said, frowning. 

"Did ya find Enzan, by the way?" Muramasa suddenly asked to change the subject.

"Nani?? OH!! Hai, hai we did!" Rock said. "That's why I'm here in the first place."

"Eh?? Doushite?"

"Something happened to Enzan, and possibly to Blues as well, but we're not sure what it is. We thought maybe you could help."

"Ah, I see. Well, how does he act? I gotta know tha in order ta know," Muramasa asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Eto… he's still asleep."

"Oh. Well… how 'bout we jus' drop by and check it out ourselves?"

"Sure. I gotta go now. Ja ne!"

"Hai, hai, whaeva," Muramasa mumbled as Rock ran away.

Once Rock was out of hearing range, she gave a sigh.

"Kami-sama… thank Kami ya heard 'em," she said to the Navi standing behind her.

"Pretty good huh? Now go, your friends need you more than I do," he said calmly.

"Hai," she said, her lips forming into a smirk. "Ja ne."

"Ja ne."

"PLUG OUT!!!" Muramasa shouted, and she dissolved into the words "LOG OUT".

Netto was up in Enzan's room, watching the other boy with worry. He was wrapped up in bandages, which were smudged with dark red splotches. It hurt the younger boy to watch him, but he did anyway. There's no telling what might've happened to him. He just hoped Shine could help him.

Rock had returned some time ago and was checking on Blues, so now, they had to wait for Shine and Muramasa to show up.

When the doorbell rang, Netto jumped up in surprise, then hurried downstairs to open the door.

Just like he expected, Shine was the one who rang the doorbell, but she wasn't alone.

"Ohayo! Netto-kun," Shine said with a smile. "Look who I bumped into underway!"

Mike smiled and raised his hand like an Indian and said: "Ugh! Porn!"

Netto chuckled. He was used to that by now.

"'Ey hentai!! Knock it off already!!" Muramasa's voice called out from Shine's PET.

Mike simply smiled, and Netto allowed the two of them to enter. Shine and Mike plugged in their Navis, who appeared beside Rock on the house's Net.

"Ohayo, Rock-kun!" Razor said with a smile.

"Razor! Ohayo!" Rock said.

"Like whaeva, I already saw ya taday."

Rock smiled. That was Muramasa for ya, always grouchy.

"Muramasa explained what happened," Razor said, looking worried. "Are Enzan and Blues alright?"

"They're still asleep, but they're not in the best condition," Rock said.

Muramasa looked slightly interested, but it hardly showed, unless you knew her very much. 

"Rockman, can ya explain exactly how and where ya found 'em? Most times, it can help a lot."

Rock nodded, and explained it to both Razor and Muramasa, who listened calmly, though they were trying to keep quiet. Once Rock was finished, the two other Navis looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Hmmm," the ivy-green-haired Navi hummed, hands holding opposite elbows. "I've got a rough suspicion, but I can't be sure unless I actually see either Enzan or Blues. Because I assume they were both put through the same."

"Tha's wha I was thinkin' off," Muramasa said. "But they're both guys so it might be better if I stay here, and let you guys take care o' 'em."

Rock didn't understand Muramasa, but agreed nonetheless.

"Come on! Let's go then!" Rock said, and was about to leave, but Razor stopped him.

"Chotto matter, Rock," he said.

He summoned off his armor, replacing it with a plain dark blue shirt and some jeans. He also wore shoes, but those weren't really necessary. 

"Okay, let's go!" he said, after running his hands through his wild mane of hair.

Rock nodded and guided the now armor-less Navi upstairs.

Muramasa simply scoffed, and summoned off her own armor, making place for her usual gothic look, and making her long hair fall back onto her back completely. She gave a sigh and shook her head, before slumping down into an armchair, leaning on her left hand and her right leg swung over the armrest.

"I don't like this…" she mumbled softly. "Not at all."

Blues gave a pained groan as he slowly came into consciousness. He painfully jarred his eyes open, noting that he was no longer inside his PET, but inside someone's house's Net. And it sure as hell wasn't Enzan's house! This caused a surge of panic to wash over him, and he tried to sit up, much to his body's protests.

His dark magenta eyes scanned the room, looking for anything he might recognize, but he found nothing. When his arms started to protest against the weight put on them, Blues leaned against the headboard with a painful moan. 

Blues decided to put the facts on a row for a moment, maybe it could be of use. 

1) He was in someone's house, though he had no idea whose.

2) His entire body felt like he'd been hit with one of Forte's blasts.

3) He was wrapped up in bandages drenched in cyberblood.

'Huh!? What the?!'

He looked down at himself, and sure enough, he was bandaged up, which was quite a rare sight for Navis. 

Well, unless you were talking about Muramasa, Razor or Ragna. Those three were always the strange trio on the Internet. Whenever they were in someone's house, they always summoned off their armor, like how humans took off their coats and shoes when entering a house.

"Oh, I see you're awake," a voice suddenly said, causing Blues to whirl around, much to his body's dislike.

In the open doorway, stood none other than…

"R-R-R-Rockman??" Blues stuttered, for some reason unable to find his voice.

"Hai, it's me," Rock said, and entered the room.

Rock was followed in by Razor, who looked like his usual casual self, with his hands in his pockets.

"Ohayo Gozaimasu, Blues-kun," Razor said with a polite nod. "Ogenki desu ka?"

Blues didn't quite know how to respond to that, and just looked down at the bedsheets as if they interested him.

"Blues-kun??" Rock asked, worried about his friend.

"G-g-genki desu…" Blues finally ground out, though he knew it was far from the truth.

Razor noticed, he knew, because he could feel the other Navi's piercing gaze staring down upon the top of his head.

"Then stand up," Razor suddenly said, making Blues look up in confusion.

"N-nani?" he asked.

"If you're fine, you should have no problems standing up. Or am I wrong?" Razor asked, quirking an eyebrow at the gray haired male-Navi.

Blues knew that Razor wasn't wrong, like he never was. Either that, or Razor never spoke unless he was completely certain. Nevertheless, being the stubborn fool he was, Blues swung his legs off of the bed, and made an effort to stand up. Note the 'made an effort to'.

Before he could even get his legs straightened up, Blues threatened to fall down, hadn't Rock and Razor caught him just in time. Blues desperately tried not to show pain on his face, but the more he tried, the more he failed to hide it. 

Razor gave a sigh and shook his head as he and Rock laid the injured Navi back in bed.

"Rock, can you get Muramasa?" Razor asked.

Rock nodded and was about to leave, when he heard: "Why's she here?"

The two Navis looked at Blues in confusion, noting that he was quite confused about why Muramasa was there.

Rock weighed his words carefully, then said: "She was worried about you and Enzan, you know?"

Blues looked at him in disbelief.

"S-s-she was?" he asked.

Rock nodded, a smile on his face, before he walked to the door, and leaned out, holding onto the doorposts.

"Muramasa!!!" he shouted. "Could you get up here?!"

"Like WHAEVA blueberry!!" Muramasa's voice called out, and pretty soon, Blues could hear the girl walk up the stairs with her usual calm stride.

Rock took a few steps back as the girl walked into the room and found a wall to lean against, arms crossed over her chest. The only greeting she gave Blues, was a nod, but he instantly noticed the slight spark of relief in her eyes.

"Any real reason I'm here?" Muramasa asked Razor.

Razor nodded and said: "We were right."

Muramasa groaned and knocked her head back against the wall.

"Itai!!" she hissed, rubbing the back of her head as the others chuckled. 

Razor looked at Blues, satisfied to see him smiling. [1]

"Glad to see you can still smile," Razor said, and Blues simply shrugged.

Rock smiled brightly, then turned serious and turned to Razor.

"Right about what?" he asked, knowing he wasn't going to like it.

Razor gave a sad sigh, and Muramasa hung her head, making her hair hide her face in shadows. 

Razor beckoned Rock over, and whispered in his ear: "Blues and Enzan have been abused."

Rock looked at Razor in confusion, not comprehending what he meant.

"What do you mean with that??"

Razor was about to open his mouth, but Muramasa beat him to it.

"They've been raped." 

I know it's not the best place to stop, but it's getting late! So, konbanwa!!

PS: Something I forgot, I don't own Netto, Enzan, Rockman.EXE, Blues.EXE, or any of them. The only ones I own are Shine, Raye/Ray/Muramasa.EXE, Michael/Mike, Dare/Razor.EXE, Paul/Jinn and Nick/Ragnarok.EXE.

[1] Looks like Muramasa can cheer people up just the same.


	3. Chapter 3: Hesitation

****

A/N: Okay, I should probably explain this. I'm making this a sequel to _Operator-to-Navi_, so there'll be a few spoilers here and there. This takes place about 2 years after OtN. Also, they're not the age they were in the games, which I forgot to mention. The ages are as following:

Blues: 18

Enzan: 18

Mike: 17

Muramasa: 16

Netto: 17

Razor: 17

Rockman: 17

Shine: 16

****

I'll add the others once they're mentioned.

Chapter 3

"Enzan… Enzan… Enzan!! Enzan!!! Wake up!!!" a voice called out, and Enzan tried to stay away from the world, not wanting to face it.

The world would only hurt him even more, and the worst about it, was that no one would care at all. Why should they? All he ever did was insult everyone. He had done nothing to deserve people's friendship. So he could just as well stay in bed for all his life.

"That's funny," a sudden voice said. "How come Blues is already awake and Enzan's still off in Neverland??"

Enzan found himself too far gone from the dreamworld to return, so he might as well humor whoever was standing around him by 'waking up'. So, Enzan carefully jarred his eyes open, staring up at the ceiling of a house of some sort.

"Hora! He's awake!!" a voice suddenly said.

When his eyes finally managed to adjust to the sudden light, Enzan focussed his blue eyes on the three other people in the room. And he was quite surprised to find out who they were.

"Ohayo, Enzan," Mike said, his eyes showing that he was relieved to see him awake.

Mike was sitting in a chair near the end of the bed, Shine was standing a little beside the edge of the bed, and Netto was sitting near Enzan's legs on the bed. Their faces showed that they had been worried sick, but why would they?

"You had us worried sick, Enzan!" Netto said with a typical motherly tone. "What were you doing there in the first place?!"

Enzan didn't answer, just stared at the bedsheets, much like his Navi had done.

"Netto," Shine said softly, and when Netto looked over, she lightly shook her head.

Netto sighed and said: "Gomen, Enzan. I was just worried about you."

Enzan looked up from under his short bangs, unsure if Netto was telling the truth, or just trying to cheer him up.

"He's telling the truth, Enzan," Mike said calmly. "You had us all worried. And if Shine hadn't been worried enough to ask Netto for help, you probably wouldn't even be here with us."

Shine blushed a little, and shuffled a little with her foot as Enzan looked at her briefly.

"Eto… that… that was Muramasa's idea actually…" Shine stuttered.

"You're kidding," Mike asked, looking at her like he was confused, but his eyes gave everything away.

Enzan wasn't listening as they talked for a few moments, and he simply looked down again, staring at his hands in what could be shame. He felt bad for worrying them all, but he had rather died right then and there than face the world he longed to escape for so long. They'd only mourn for a week or two, a month at the most, and they would've forgotten him.

"Enzan! You're spacing out, man!!" Mike's voice suddenly broke through his thoughts, making him look up a little. "Hey hey hey now! Don't look so down!! Cheer up already!!"

Enzan looked down again and mumbled almost inaudibly: "Easy for you to say."

"Itai!!" he suddenly heard and he looked up in surprise.

Apparently, Shine had knocked Mike to the back of his head, seeing as Shine was now standing beside the boy in question, whom was clutching his skull with both hands.

"Shine! What the hell was that for?!!?" Mike whined, and Enzan couldn't help but smile at the spectacle.

"Because I felt like it!" Shine said with a satisfied smile. "And besides, you're the best source of entertainment around here!"

Netto and Enzan were both trying to hide their laughter, but that was rather hard to do, seeing as the duo continued to 'argue'. Netto finally just burst out laughing, though it didn't stop the two arguers. Enzan carefully pulled up his knees, holding his hands to his face to hide his chuckles, but his smile still showed.

Shine had always been good at cheering people up, no matter what was happening around her. Some people had started calling it a gift.

Mike was about to make another remark, when a suddenly ringing came from his PET.

"Oh, chotto matter," he said to Shine, and pulled out his PET, along with his communicator to make the conversation a little more private.

After attaching it to the right side of his face, he answered.

Enzan, Netto and Shine watched as Mike talked to the person on the other line.

"No idea. Haven't seen him in quite some time."

Pause.

"Nani?? Mind explaining that?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head in confusion.

Pause.

"Say what?!?!"

Pause. Mike gave a groan.

"Fine, I'll be right there," he muttered, and hung up.

With a sigh, Mike crossed his arms, his left hand still holding his PET. He was frowning angrily, meaning that this was serious.

"Mike??" Netto asked. "What was that about?"

"That was the Center," Mike said, pulling the communicator off his head. "They asked where Enzan was, but I said I hadn't seen him in awhile."

Shine blinked, and said: "But…" and looked over at Enzan.

"I know I know," Mike said. "But I just had a feeling that this couldn't be good. And it isn't."

"What's the matter then?" Netto asked.

Mike shook his head and stood up.

"Can't say. I might have told you if you were an Official [1], and even then I probably wouldn't have," Mike said, and pulled his backpack from the ground, tossing it over his shoulder. "All I can say is that I have to go as soon as possible."

Mike pulled his cap from his bag, which adorned his Razor's Navi-Symbol on the front, and placed it backwards on his head.

"Well, guess I'll show you out then," Netto said, standing up.

"Arigatou Netto," Mike said, then he walked over to Enzan. 

Enzan looked confused as Mike extended his hand.

"You keep tough, okay?" Mike said, smiling down at the other boy.

Enzan nodded slightly and tentatively raised his hand to shake Mike's. It was mostly Mike who shook their hands, but it didn't matter. Mike then walked over to Shine and shook hands with her too, before heading downstairs with Netto, leaving Enzan alone with Shine.

Once the duo had left, Shine turned to Enzan with a rather stern look, one she seemed to only give Enzan.

"_What_ on EARTH were you thinking Enzan?!!?" she demanded, hands on her hips. 

Enzan gulped, and stuttered: "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Before he knew it, he found himself pinned against the wall by his shoulders by Shine. It went so suddenly, that his head hit the wall with the sudden jerk

"You know damned well what I'm talking about Enzan!! Now SPIT IT OUT!!!" [2]

Shine's fingers were digging into Enzan's shoulders, and it hurt, badly. Not to mention that his head was pounding like crazy.

"S-S-Shine… please s-s-stop… i-i-i-i-it hurts…" he whimpered, and thankfully, Shine released him.

Shine rolled her eyes and gave a sigh, shaking her head. 

"Enzan, answer me. You know me, I won't tell anyone."

Enzan looked down at the bedsheets, arms wrapped around his knees. His face showed hesitation, as well as understanding. He knew she was telling the truth, but he was hesitating to tell her.

"Enzan-kun…" Shine said, sitting on her knees at the end of the bed, leaning with her chin on her folded arms her stern look gone.

When Shine was about to repeat, Enzan finally spoke.

"Suicide…" he said, and hurriedly ducked his head between his knees, ashamed of himself for letting her know.

Shine was instantly sitting upright, looking shocked, but she said nothing. For awhile, she couldn't move, until she heard Enzan sob lightly.

"N-n-n-nande??" she stuttered, not comprehending, until she understood. "Souda."

She sighed, standing up, and said: "Enzan, I said it once, I said it twice, and I'll say it again; just say it."

Enzan continued to sob, and Shine knew he was trying to keep it down. He tried to speak, but it was choked, and a lot of words couldn't be made out.

"B-b-but… h-h-he hates me…" he choked. "H-h-h-he'll never…"

"Enzan!!" Shine interrupted, making Enzan look at her from under his bangs.

The young whitehead gave a sad sigh and pulled out her PET for a moment.

"I should be going to," she said softly, replacing her PET in its holster. "There's something I need to do."

Enzan nodded, not really wanting her to leave, but glad to be alone for awhile. Shine smiled at him, then frowned suddenly, turning to the door.

"What's taking Netto so long anyway?" she wondered, and headed out, leaving the young boy to his own thoughts.

Enzan sighed sadly, tears still running down his cheeks, and placed his forehead on his knees, pulling his legs closer. He gave a rather violent sob and whimpered a little like a lost kid.

"Netto!" Shine shouted once she was downstairs.

"Over here!" Netto's voice called out, coming from the kitchen.

Shine walked over, noting that Netto was searching the cupboards for something.

"Netto, what are you doing?" Shine asked, chuckling slightly.

"Looking for something Enzan might like," Netto said, looking over his shoulder at her. "I mean, he must be hungry and all."

Shine nodded in understanding and walked over. Netto watched her check out a few items in the cupboard, before she pulled out something.

"I saw Enzan eat these sometimes, it might help," she said, handing it to Netto. "I'd help you, if I had the time."

Netto nodded, jealousy building up inside him. Shine had been a thorn in his back for quite some time now, seeing as she made it almost impossible for him to get to Enzan. Even though Shine never meant it, she had always been best buddies with Enzan, ever since they met 2 years ago at Okuden Valley. [3] 

"There's nothing going on between me and Enzan, Netto," Shine suddenly said, making Netto topple over.

"N-n-nani?! What're you talking about?!" Netto asked from his somewhat embarrassing position on the floor.

"You were looking at me like a jealous schoolgirl, Netto-kun," Shine said teasingly. "And besides," she added with a wink, "I already have a boyfriend."

"You do!?!?" Netto asked, shocked out of his wits.

Shine blushed a little and said: "Hai. I uh… met him about a month after… **_[CENSORED]_**." [4]

Netto smiled, suddenly feeling like a load had been lifted off his shoulders, and he got up.

"Well, if you're leaving, I might as well show you out."

"Arigatou," Shine said. "I need to get----"

"I'm here already!" Muramasa called out.

Shine was about to cross the street, when she stopped dead and turned to Netto.

"Netto-kun!!" she shouted, and Netto looked up from closing the door.

"Hai?" he asked.

Shine opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated. Finally she opened her mouth again.

"Take care of Enzan, okay?"

"Hai, don't worry."

"Ja ne, Netto-kun!"

"Ja ne!"

"Ya almost blew it."

"Muramasa, don't remind me."

"Fine."

A/N: Phew! I'm going to continue with OtN for awhile now, but don't worry, I'll finish this (sometime).

[1] In this story, Netto isn't an Official NetBattler yet. He'll become one a little later on in the story.

[2] Hallelujah! Looks like Shine can get angry too!

[3] For those who never read _Operator-to-Navi_, that's where Netto and the gang met Shine and Muramasa.

[4] No, Shine doesn't say that, but I'm not spoiling it until it's written in OtN. Once it's in there, I'll repost this chapter.


End file.
